The demands made upon you
Are hard to live up to
It's futile to try and deny
And the things you hold dearly
Are scoffed at and yearly
Judged once and then left aside

Cause they're blind
They hold you too close to the light
And I see what they only might if they'd learn
But they're letting you burn 'cause they're blind

To the brown-eyed beholder
See the chip on your shoulder
That fools everyone to believe
That you're so hard to talk to
And so easy to [read] through
Yet nobody looks past your sleeve, yeah

Cause they're blind
They hold you too close to the light
And I see what they only might if they learn
But they're letting you burn 'cause they're blind

They only like what they can see
An' what they can't, they just can't agree
If you run to me, run, run
Only like the day with her
Only like a date with her
Then you'll run back
Then you'll run back blind

Cause they're blind
They hold you too close to the light
And I see what they only might if they'd learn
But they're letting you burn 'cause they're blind

An old man said to me
Go home and take it easy
And run to me, run, run
Only like a date with her
Only one more day with her
Then I'll run back
Then we'll run back blind
They hold you too close to the light
And I see what they only might if they learn
But they're letting us burn
Cause they're blind

4 Comments

General Commentthis song is kind of like the replacements' take on cat stevens' "father and son". both songs deal with a young person and an older person. here, it's the singer and "they". basically misunderstanding and the seeming impossibility of connection between the two parties is a big part of both of the songs. a musical connection even exists. listen to the lines "I see what they only might if they learn but they're letting you burn" and compare it to "father and son"

General CommentThis is my favorite Replacements song. It's simple but so beautiful. Ever since hearing it, I assumed it was about the essence of youth; about being young, maybe of high school age. It could be about someone who overachieves in a particular area - academically, athletically, or both - and is generally loved by people for who they appear to be. But there's a lot more going on than meets the average eye. They put on a facade to an extent, attempting to always fulfill the demands and wishes of other people, whether it be parents, teachers, or peers, and as a result, they alienate parts of their true self. An older and wiser man understands the situation and sees certain aspects of the person that aren't normally put on public display - and the wiser person appreciates who they truly are.

General CommentYou know... come to think of it, I may have to reevaluate my thoughts a little. To the brown-eyed beholder/See the chip on your shoulder/That fools everyone to believe/that you're so hard to talk to/And so easy to read through/Yet nobody looks past your sleeve, yeah. To me, this makes it seem more as though the person has this hard exterior going on that drives others away. I still maintain he could be a teenager, though. Still, the initial part about demands still makes a lot of sense in both cases. The kid is just having a hard time. And he's misunderstood!